In this meditation on the poetry of Thomas Merton, fellow poet Frederick Smock considers how Merton's poetry - perhaps the least-known of his writings - was nevertheless an integral component of his work for peace. But as the term meditation suggests, Smock's examination of the poetry serves as a point of entry into a far broader inquiry, not only into Merton's life and work, but into the necessary engagement of other poets in the work for peace, and into Smock's own development as an artist and a man confronting the world.